An Egyptian-brokered ceasefire agreement came into effect early on Friday at 2:00 a.m. Palestinian time between Israel and militant groups led by the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas). As soon as it turned 2:00, loudspeakers of the mosques all over the Gaza Strip shouted Allahu Akbar (God is great) celebrating the end of more than 11 days of tit-for-tat trade of fire between Israel and Hamas-led militants in the Gaza Strip. Militants fired into the air, while tens of thousands of people took to the streets, while whistling and shouting Allahu Akbar. Earlier on Thursday, Hamas armed wing announced that it…
Author: Abdallah el-Kurebe
The World Health Organisation (WHO) says the 74th session of the World Health Assembly (WHA) will stress the urgent need to end the current pandemic and prevent the next one by building a healthier, safer, and fairer world. WHO, in a statement said that WHA, which would be held virtually, would run from May 24 to 1 June, 2021. The Health Assembly is WHO’s highest decision-making body and is attended by delegations from all around the world. It will also be opened to associate members, observers, invited representatives of the UN and other participating inter-governmental organisations, and non-State actors. According to…
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has issued essential standards for future research and development of genetically modified mosquitoes as part of efforts to make the fight against malaria and other vector-borne diseases more engaging. WHI said in a statement that the new standards would address issues relating to ethics, safety, affordability, and efficacy. Malaria and other vector-borne diseases, including dengue and Zika affect millions globally. More than 400,000 people die annually from malaria alone. If proven safe, effective, and affordable, genetically modified mosquitoes could be a valuable new tool for fighting the diseases and eliminating the enormous health, social, and…
The Controller, Niger State Fire Service (NSFS), Bello Salihu, said that Niger recorded a loss of N1.2 billion from 196 fire outbreaks in 2021 first quarter. Salihu disclosed this in an interview in Minna on Thursday. He said they recorded 300 fire outbreaks in the past but that the number became low due to intensive fire prevention campaigns to business premises, organisations and the public. “We believe and hope that in Q2 we will do more in the area of campaigning and sensitisation to bring down the rate of fire outbreaks to the barest minimum. “In the first quarter we recorded…
The big news this week is the reported death of Abubakar Shekau at the hands of the ISWAP faction of Boko Haram. This time, Nigerians appear to believe he has really been killed because the information did not come from the army. Previously, the army has reported numerous times that they have killed him only for him to appear on video and mock them. Their efforts to eliminate him since 2009 failed because his hideout in Sambisa forest is impregnable to the Nigerian army. However, the ISWAP forces set out with armoured vehicles and mounted guns drove in a column…
The Indian Navy said it had recovered the bodies of 49 people after a barge sank off Mumbai during a powerful storm that killed 81 others on the country’s western coast. The barge, owned by state-run Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), was carrying 261 people when it sank near an offshore oilfield on Monday evening as Cyclone Tauktae blew ashore. Navy ships and helicopters, battling extreme weather, managed to rescue 186 people and found 27 more bodies in operations since Wednesday night, raising the toll in the tragedy to 49, Navy spokesman, Vivek Madhwal told dpa. Twenty-six people were…
The Group Executive Director, Strategy, Capital Projects & Portfolio Development of Dangote Industries, Mr Devakumar Edwin says the group is determined to create millions of jobs across the continent. This is contained in a statement by Mr Anthony Chiejina, Group Chief Branding and Communications Officer, Dangote Industries Limited, on Thursday in Lagos. Edwin said that the group would also join hands with the Nigerian government to ensure that all able youth are gainfully employed. He is quoted as saying these when the West African Students Union (WASU) presented the conglomerate with the “Most Outstanding Company in Africa” award. The union, according to the statement, commended the…
Governor Bello Muhammad of Zamfara has announced the revocation of all land titles in the state. He also directed property owners to go to the state’s Geographic Information System (ZAGIS) for recertification or regranting of electronic Certificates. Muhammad made the announcement on Thursday at the flag-off of the issuance of the Electronic Certificate of Occupancy which he said would henceforth be done only by the ZAGIS. He explained that his administration decided on the e-C of O due to the corrupt practices and shady deals that characterized the manual issuance of C of Os. He disclosed that unsuspecting property owners…
The Bank of Industry (BOI) says its total assets grew to N1.86 trillion during the 2020 financial year, despite the negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on global economies. Aliyu Dikko, Chairman, Board of Directors of BOI, disclosed this at the 61st Annual General Meeting of the bank held on Thursday, in Abuja. According to him, the N1.86 trillion represented an increase of 79.1 per cent when compared to the N1.04 trillion it recorded in the 2019 financial year. Dikko ascribed the achievement to the bank’s resilience and strive amidst the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic to businesses. He noted…
The Federal High Court, Abuja has rejected a suit seeking to compel President Muhammadu Buhari to direct security agencies to enforce the Benue Open Grazing Prohibition and Ranching Law of 2017. Delivering judgment in a virtual court proceeding, Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu held that the court lacked the jurisdiction to entertain the suit. Justice Ojukwu consequentially struck out the suit. The suit was instituted by Mr Mathew Nyiutsa against the president on the grounds that the President, by his oath of office, incurred a mandatory obligation to uphold and preserve the law of the land. He, however, said that the president failed to…